Break Up, Break Down
by KnuxfanEO
Summary: Knux's relationship with Julie-Su is just starting, but will a girl and a secret from his past tear things apart? Things begin to get dicey when the Dark Legion show up! Final chapters are up!
1. Default Chapter

**Author's note:** Hey! Thanx for checking this out! This happens a bit after Knuckles #32, the last issue of the comic series.I don't own any Sonic characters, or Julie-Su and any Archie characters. I'm just a fan w/ too much free time and too many thoughts in his head. It'll start kinda slow, but it gets good late on. I've posted the first three chapters so you can get started. As soon as I get back to my PC on Sunday, I'll put up more. Anyway, enough of my babbling! Enjoy!!!

COMPETITION?

It was a nice, quiet day. The birds chirped as they fluttered through the air, engulfed in the sweet aromas of the dozens of vibrant flowers. The grassy meadows stretched out from the dense forest, until they meet a sudden end. At that point the ground begins to slope downward...inward. One would look down and see the great ocean below them, but no ground. This would be because this particular landmass was an island. An island in the sky. The Floating Island was a host of many different biospheres. Scorching deserts, snowy mountains, grassy plains, you name it, and it was there.

Today was going to be an abnormal day. There would be guests from the surface. They were allies, and friends, and were always welcome. The jet slowly landed on the soft soil. The flight over had been smooth sailing. The Freedom Fighters were all rather excited. The Chaotix had invited them up to dinner in Echidnapolis. Echidnapolis. Perhaps the most advanced city on Mobius. The oldest in History. All were ecstatic about the invitation, except for one.

Sonic stepped slowly off of the jet, grumbling to himself. 'Can't believe I actually came. I mean, Mighty and Ray are my pals, and the others are cool, but I just can't deal with...' "Sonic! Hey! Over here!" a familiar voice yelled. Sonic and his friends turned towards the woods to see Mighty the Armadillo, waving his arms in the air so as to signal them. "Long time, no see, Mighty!" Sonic said after he sped past the others to his old friend, extending his arm. Mighty lightly grasped Sonic's hand and shook it. He knew his own strength, which was a good thing for Sonic. "Yeah, I know. You guys ready?" he said, cheerfully as the others huffed and puffed after running after Sonic. "Yeah...Just let us catch our breath!" Rotor exclaimed. Sonic and Mighty chuckled.

In no time they were on their way through the woods. Mighty pointed out all kinds of plant-life and landmarks to them as they went. As they were walking, Sonic noticed some beautiful flowers and glanced over at Sally. He went to pick some, but yelped when he felt his finger get pricked. "YEOW! What the..." he began, as the others came over and observed him grasping his finger. Mighty pushed some of the flowers away and sighed. "Charmy! What are you doing?" he said, picking up his friend by the wings. He had called Charmy, too, to see if he wanted to spend some time with his old friends and get away from the Honeybee Kingdom. Charmy shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. Picking pollen maybe? I am a bee after all! Not my fault Sonic isn't careful."

Sonic grumbled as he put his sore finger into his mouth. He then took it out and picked up the flowers he had dropped and presented them to Sally. "For you, ma'am," he said with a bow. "Back off, creep!" Sonic's head shot up in surprise. "What?" he questioned, shocked by Sally's remark. "I didn't..." Sally began, startled. "I did," a voice said as Espio appeared in between the two confused Mobians. Sally and Sonic blushed as they glared at Espio, who was chuckling along with the others. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

"What's with the giggle-fest?" a raspy voice asked. Espio, still chuckling, turned to greet the new arriver. "Hey Vec! I was just..." "Never mind, Espy. Let's go. Ray's saving' us a table at Pops', and I'm starving!" "Heh! Alright, Vec!" Mighty said. They walked a little farther and crossed paths with Julie-Su. "Well, I see the guests have arrived," she said with a friendly smile. "So where's your dance partner?" Vector asked. The Freedom Fighters looked at him and then Julie-Su, wondering what he meant. "_Knuckles_ is off in the woods somewhere and I'm looking for him to make sure he isn't late," she replied, glaring angrily at Vector. "Sure!" Vector grumbled to himself.

Mighty saw a potential problem, so he decided to quickly change the subject. "Why don't we help you look! There's a lot of wilderness to cover!" "Give me three seconds and I'll have found him!" Sonic said with a proud smirk. Mighty shook his head. "Knuckles knows every nook and cranny of this Island. You'll never find him if he isn't out in the open. Plus, you don't even know where he lives, so we'd better stick together. Vec, go tell Ray we'll be right there." Vector nodded and was on his way.

The Freedom Fighters were surprised when they saw Knuckles' home. It was a cave. Just a cave. There was a city just a few miles away and he lived in a hole in the ground. Mighty went to knock the door, but paused. "What is it Mighty?" Tails asked. "You hear that?" They all turned around and heard a strange noise off in the distance. "What do you..." Sally began, but before she could finish her sentence, Sonic was out and back. "What IS it, then?" she asked. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Gotta see it yourself." Sonic said.

They followed him into the woods and it became clearer what the sound was. It was a guitar. But who was playing a guitar out here? When Sonic pushed some of the brush aside, no one knew what to say. A familiar red echidna was lying down with his back against a tree. Next to him were his shoes, his bare feet dipped into the pond in front of him. His left glove was on top of his shoes, and his right glove held a guitar pick. He had an acoustic guitar held against his chest, just below the white crescent collar that ran under his neck.

"Okay," he said to himself out loud, certain he was alone, "Let's take you for another whirl." He began to play, and did so with great skill. His friends stared in awe from the bushes. Their eyes began to widen as he picked up the tempo and began to play faster, not missing a single note. He finally began to slow down the tempo and shocked them all when he began to sing.

This is my paradise,

This is my cold prison cell.

This is my paradise,

This is my Heaven and Hell.

This is my paradise,

This is the place I hate and love.

This is my paradise,

This is all I'm thinking of.

Each and every day,

Begins and ends the same old...

Each and every day,

Doesn't matter what I think or...

This is my paradise,

This is my emerald in the sky.

This is my paradise,

This is the place I'll live and die.

Each and every day,

Begins and ends the same old...

Each and every day,

Doesn't matter what I think or...

This is my paradise,

This is my cold prison cell.

This is my paradise,

This is my Heaven and Hell.

Each and every day,

Begins and ends the same old...

Each and every day,

Doesn't matter what I think or...say...

After a moment, he stopped playing. The others were still in a trance. His voice was so soothing, so sad, that they had gotten lost in his song. He sighed, but looked up with a slight smile and said, "Well, I still have the old touch. But hey! When you're all alone with nothing to do for a few years, you pick up a few hobbies. Nice to know I still got it" He stood up and slipped his single glove and his shoes on. "Better swing this by the cave and get over to Pops'," he said, looking up at the position of the sun, "I'm already late."

Suddenly there was a snap in the bushes. Knuckles' body tensed up, and with his glaring eyes, he surveyed the area around him. He began to sniff the air, which made his friends nervous. Although they were hidden, his sense of smell was extremely precise, like all of his other senses. Fortunitally, they were down wind, but if they moved, he would hear them. It's not that he would hurt them or anything...well, maybe Sonic...but Knuckles was a very private creature, and would find this violating.

Suddenly, some of the pollen Charmy had collected floated into Antoine's nose. He let out a sneeze that even a deaf person could have heard. Everyone else cringed. "Alright! I know you're in there! Come on out!" Knuckles yelled. To his great surprise, the Freedom Fighters and most of the Chaotix stepped out of the bushes. If the look on his face didn't reveal it, Knuckles' blushing cheeks showed that he was embarrassed. "Hey...Knux." Mighty said with a friendly chuckle.

"Wh-what are you guys..." he began, until he was cut off by Charmy. "Man, Knux! Why didn't you tell us you could play the guitar like that?" "Or sing so well..." Sally added with a dreamy sigh, which made Knuckles turn red with embarrassment and Sonic turn red with jealousy. "Well, I...I don't...like to talk about myself, so..." "We can talk more later. Right now, Vec and Ray are waiting for us, so let's go already!" Espio said. Everyone nodded in agreement. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I just need to run this home," Knuckles said, slightly lifting his guitar, then lowering it again, still blushing. "Okay, but hurry," Julie-Su sighed.

Pops' Diner was a usual hangout spot for the Chaotix. They were frequent customers, and Pops really liked them. He was more than happy to save some tables for their friends. They were all seated, waiting patiently for Knuckles, who was the current topic of discussion.

"Did you guys know he could do that?" Tails asked the Chaotix. They looked at each other and shook their heads. "Had no idea. Wonder why he never told anyone. I mean, sure he's a private guy, but it isn't that big a deal." Vector replied, still surprised by the story the others had told him.

"I may have a theory about that," Sally said, gaining everyone's attention. "Sooo...Spill it, Sal!" Sonic said. "Lets think for a moment: we all know that Knuckles isn't exactly an open book when it comes to how he feels," she began, with everyone nodding in agreement. "Maybe that's just his way of expressing his feelings. His way of letting them out." "That's a pretty weird theory Sal," Sonic remarked. "But it does make sense," Rotor replied, backing up Sally's idea. "But that ain't gonna help 'im. He's still buildin' up all them feelings he's got inside, 'n one day he's jus' gonna break down. It ain't all too healthy for 'im," Bunnie commented. They all agreed with Bunnies' statement. Knuckles has been through a lot in his life, and has never consulted anyone for emotional support. If he continued to build up all these emotions, he would become an emotional wreck.

"Drop the subject. Here he is," Espio whispered. Knuckles stepped in sweating and panting. "Sorry...I'm late," he said as he huffed and puffed. Everyone greeted him as he sat down. "We already ordered. We figured you'd want the usual fruit salad and, you guessed it, fruit punch," Mighty said to his friend with a smile. "Yeah, yeah," he replied with a smile. He seemed a little more timid than usual. Perhaps he was still a little embarrassed about before. Julie-Su, who was sitting next to him, nudged his shoulder, looked up at him, and smiled. He couldn't help but smile back. Sally watched the whole interaction and began to wonder, 'Are those two...'

"Order up!" Pops' yelled. They all went up to the counter and grabbed their food. "I think we need a little guy/girl separation time," Sally suggested. The girls went over to their own table as the guys pushed two tables together to sit down. "Hey, Sonic," Mighty began, "The girls table is over there," he said, pointing over to the girls. "Very funny," Sonic replied as everyone chuckled.

The guys were talking about their recent exploits as the girls talked about, well, the boys. "Vec seems as obnoxious as ever," Amy commented. "Oh, yeah," Julie-Su replied. "So how's Knuckles?" Sally asked, hoping to branch out into the topic. Julie-Su looked at her with a surprised gaze. "Ummm...he's fine. Nothing out of the ordinary!" "Do you like him?" Amy asked. Julie-Su's eyes widened as Sally and Bunnies' glared at Amy. "Amy, that's not very polite!" Sally scolded. "I just wanted to know!" Amy said, trying to defend herself. Sally looked over at Julie-Su to see that she felt really uncomfortable about the previous question. 'Maybe there is something going on...'

"Anyway," Bunnie said, "What wuz Vec sayin' 'bout you 'n red bein' dance pardners?" Julie-Su let out an annoyed sigh. "I danced with him one night, and that was it!" "When was this?" Sally asked. "His birthday," Julie-Su replied. "Oh, yeah. Sorry we couldn't make it for that." Sally said. Julie-Su shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay. He knew that things were getting a bit difficult down there, so he didn't mind." "How'd it go?" Sally asked. "Well, we caught him completely off guard. You should have seen his face," she said as she giggled. "Ah'll bet. 'N how wuz 'is dancin'?" Bunnie asked. "He was really good. It wasn't formal dancing or anything, so it wasn't too difficult."

Sally, Bunnie and Amy watched as Julie-Su slipped into a somewhat dream-like state, with a bright, happy smile on her face. "I'm guessing a little more happened that night that you're not letting on," Sally said with a mischievous smile. Julie-Su blushed and twiddled her thumbs. "Well...he kissed me," she said. The three female Freedom Fighters raised their brows and smiled. "Wow. So how was it?" Sally asked. Julie-Su sighed dreamily. "It was perfect. Who would have guessed he could kiss like that?" Suddenly, the look on her face faded away into sadness. "But...nothing's really happened since then...like he's losing interest."

Sally put her hand on Julie-Su's shoulder and smiled. "No way. Don't turn around, but he's glanced over at you once every minute." Julie-Su lifted her head slightly and smiled. "I guess we're really Soultouched..." "Whuts the Soultouch?" Bunnie asked, confused with what Julie-Su was saying. "It's the way echidnas find out who they're supposed to be with." The other three girls raised their brows in surprise. "So it's telling you it's him?" Amy asked with a large smile on her face. "Yes," she answered. "And it's telling him it's you?" Sally asked.

Julie-Su didn't answer at first. She turned her head slightly and glanced back at Knuckles. He had been looking at her, but turned away to the other guys for a second, and then looked back at her with a pleasant smile. He motioned his mouth so as to say "Hey", but no words came out. She smiled and did the same and turned back to the girls. "Yeah," she finally answered.

They all finished eating and decided to go for a stroll around the city before the Freedom Fighters had to depart for the night. It had been warm all day, and the cool evening breeze was welcome and greatly appreciated. The skies were clear, and the stars were all out. It was a perfect night. A cab pulled up next to an apartment building across the street. Nothing out of the ordinary. The passenger stepped out and observed her current residence. 'It's a nice place. Wow. I can't believe it's been over three years now. I wonder if I'll see him. I wonder if he'll remember me. Who am I kidding! This city is huge! It'll be like finding...' "Hey, lady! You forgot your suitcase!" the cab driver yelled. She turned around and pulled her suitcase off of the cab. As the cab departed, she noticed a familiar face across the street. "Didn't take as long as I thought," she said smiling.

Knuckles was telling the Freedom Fighters about the city and its origin, when he paused at the sound of a somewhat familiar voice calling his name. He turned around and gasped at what he saw. Even though it had been a few years, he knew who she was. She was a white bat, wearing a black body suit with a pink, heart-shaped chest plate and white boots and gloves. She ran up laughing and threw her arms around Knuckles' neck, who grunted as he caught her.

"Oh my God! Knuckles, I can't believe it's you!" "R-Rouge?" was all he could say. "Yeah, silly! I'm so glad you remember! It's been so long! Here, let me get a good look at you!" she said as she stepped back with her hands still on his shoulders. She gave him a quick look over. He was tall, with his muscles well toned. His shoulders still had a bit of broadening to do, but that was to be expected, being that he was still young. She then looked up at him. He was really handsome, too.

"Wow! You look great! And a lot cuter, too," she said with a wink. "Kn-Knux, who is sh-she?" Ray asked. Knuckles turned over to his friends who were staring at him and the white bat. "Uhhh...This is Rouge. I met her a few years back before I met you guys." One by one, Knuckles introduced Rouge to his friends.

"And this is Sally," he said, getting out of breath. "Wait a sec..._THE_ Sally?" Rouge asked him. "What do you mean?" Sally questioned, unsure of how she knew her. "He used to talk about you a lot. You were his...childhood friend or something, right?" Rouge asked her. "Yeah, I was. What did he say about me?" she asked, staring and grinning at Knuckles, who was blushing again. "All good things. Like how nice and pretty you were. Not that you aren't now!" Rouge said, trying not to sound insulting. "Awww...You're a real sweetheart, you know that, Knux?" Sally said, giving him a big hug, which made him turn even redder.

It was a good thing that Julie-Su left her blaster at home, because if she didn't, both Rouge and Sally would be on the ground. It was one thing for a total stranger to make moves on her guy, but now Sally too? She wanted to yell and curse at the two of them, but she stopped herself. They were only flirting with him. It wasn't that big of a deal...awww, screw that! Yes it was!

"Well, it's nice to see you again, Knuckles. If you wanna catch up some time, I'm staying in apartment fourteen in that building there," Rouge said, pointing over at a green building. "I gotta get settled in. Catch ya later, cutie!" she said as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Uhhh...bye?" Knuckles said as she walked away.

Mighty cringed when he saw Julie-Su. She looked as if she was going to explode. Not like a grenade, either. Like a nuclear bomb, mushroom cloud, mile upon mile of devastation explode. If she glared any harder at Rouge, the bat would have burst into flames. Her entire body was tense as she clenched her fists. She motioned to take a step forward, but Mighty grabbed her wrist. "Calm down," he whispered. "She's just an old friend of his, that's all. Don't worry about it." She let out an aggravated sigh as she glanced over at Knuckles with curious eyes.

Knuckles turned to them, not sure of what to say. "Well...I guess I have a story to tell, then," he finally said with a nervous smile. "Yeah you do," Vector replied. "Who was that? She's steamin', man!" The whole group turned to glare at Vector, then turned their attention to Knuckles. "Well," he began, "It was about three years ago..."


	2. KEEPING SECRETS

KEEPING SECRETS

It was a clear, crisp spring day. A pleasant atmosphere surrounded the whole island. It was Valentines Day, and all that were in love, young and old, were scattered across the island, seeking privacy. It was a very passionate time on the Floating Island. All were happy...all but one. A lonely echidna walked down a trail in the woods, staring at the ground as he went. He was around thirteen and a half, but carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. He hated this time of the year. Wherever he went, he would see a couple enjoying each other's company. He hated it. He thought that they were all fools, wasting their time on love. It was a worthless emotion to him. Something that made you weak and vulnerable. He would never admit it, but he wanted that.

He had been alone for four years now, and his heart grew heavier every passing day. He felt that nobody cared about him. That nobody loved him. His own father had left him, so wouldn't that testify to that conclusion? He began to feel sick, so he stopped walking and leaned his back against a tree. He hugged himself as he shuttered. It was his only comfort. He closed his eyes and began to picture someone in his mind. She was a young female squirrel, wearing teal blue sweatpants and a T-shirt of the same color. Her hair was back in a braid. His head began to droop as he relived that sad moment in his life.

"Knuckles...I can't come up here anymore. My daddy says that a war is starting, and it isn't safe to travel," she said. "I know. My dad told me. It isn't fair! We're such good friends! Why can't those idiots just kill themselves so we can still see each other?" She frowned when he put his head down and a tear slid down his cheek. "It isn't fair..." he whispered. "I know," she said as she hugged him and she began to cry as well. He hugged her back, trying to comfort her, and himself. "Sally! Where are you? We have to go now!" a voice yelled out. They broke their embrace and stared at each other for a moment. He took her hand and kissed it. "I'll never forget you...Princess Sally Acorn," he said. "And I'll never forget you...Knuckles the Echidna," she said as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. He watched as she left in tears, and when she was out of sight, his own tears began to pour down.

This memory caused a tear to spawn from his eye. Any other day, he would have quickly wiped it away, but today was different. He left it where it was as he hugged himself tighter. He felt so empty, so alone, that he just wanted to die right there.

A snap of a twig caused him to quickly wipe the tear away and regain his tough-guy appearance. He looked to see three bats walking towards him. The male was gray and rather tall, wearing a tattered red shirt. Two females, obviously his family, accompanied him. The older female was white, wearing a blue T-shirt and black jeans. The younger female was white like the mother, wearing a pink tank top and blue shorts.

"Excuse me, but I was wondering if you knew where we could find the Guardian," the male asked. "I'm him," Knuckles replied. "I...was aware that the Guardian was an echidna, but I expected you to be...older," the male bat responded, "My name is Vamp. This is my wife, Sylvania, and my daughter, Rouge," he said. Knuckles glanced at them, then back at Vamp. "So why do you want to see me?" Knuckles asked. Vamp put his head down, then finally answered, "We come from a village that was recently destroyed by the war. We lost our home, our friends...everything but each other," Vamp said as he put his arms around his family, "We have family that live about a days journey from here, but we have been flying for so long...I was wondering if perhaps we could spend the night here..." Knuckles looked at him suspiciously. He didn't trust anyone, especially strangers. "Just for the night! No longer than that. Just a day to rest, that's all I ask of you." Vamp was desperate. Knuckles could see it in his eyes. So he finally decided, "Okay. Come with me," he said as he led them through the woods.

They stopped at a large tree. It would have taken about twelve animals at arm's length to go around the total width of it. It was carved out on the inside, and made into a small room. There were two beds in it, with sheets, pillows and comforters. "You can spend the night here," Knuckles said as he showed them inside the tree. Vamp was at a loss for words. He never expected to be housed in such a way. He was expecting to sleep outside tonight. He extended his hand to Knuckles and said, "Thank you, Guardian. You are most gracious." ""You're welcome," he replied as he shook Vamps' hand.

Rouge was looking curiously at a large, carved out circle in the center of the room. "Guardian, what's this for?" she asked. "If you want to build a fire tonight, it would be best to build it in that circle. Just put some soil in it first, or the whole tree will go up," he answered. Knuckles walked over to the door, but before he departed, he said, "If you require anything else, don't hesitate to find me and ask." "Thank you so much, Guardian. We'll never forget this," Sylvania said. "Happy Valentines Day!" Rouge said as he stepped out the door. "Yeah..." he uttered as he left them.

"...And that's how I met Rouge and her family." Knuckles said, concluding his story. At first, nobody said anything, until Vector finally asked, "Is she single?" Espio smacked him in the back of the head. "Moron." As Vector rubbed the back of his head, Mighty said, "Well, she seems pretty cool. It was nice of her to remember you, at least." "Well, we have to go, so..." Sally began. "Oh, I'm sorry! My story took too long. I'll walk you all over there!" Knuckles said. The Chaotix and Julie-Su also accompanied them back to their ship. They all said their good byes and soon after the Freedom Fighters were on their way home. Not too long after, Charmy said his own good-byes.

On the way back, Sonic and Sally were discussing the evening. "See, Sonic? It was a nice time at dinner," Sally said to him. Sonic crossed his arms and looked at her. "That's because Knuckles was MIA for most of the evening," he said. Sally frowned. "Sonic, why don't you just give him a chance? "Sal, we just don't like each other. You have to accept it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna sleep," he said as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Sally growled. She would have yelled at him, but she didn't want to wake the others. She sighed as she concentrated on the journey home.

The Chaotix had gone off to their homes, so Knuckles decided to walk Julie-Su to her apartment. Knuckles noticed a strange silence as they walked. "You're quiet tonight. Anything you wanna talk about?" he asked. "No...n-not really..." she said in an uneasy voice. He put his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him. She didn't look up at him, so he lifted her chin up with his finger. "What's wrong, Julie? You know you can tell me anything." She stared deeply into his deep violet eyes and sighed. "I...I was just wondering...how close you were to that Rouge girl..." Knuckles' eyes widened and his mouth hung open. He looked down for a second, then back up at her. "Is-Is that what's been bothering you? Rouge?" Julie-Su blushed. "When...when I saw her kiss you...I-I just thought that maybe...maybe you two..." Before she could finish her sentence, Knuckles put his finger to her lips. "Julie, I knew her a long time ago...and even if we were close, you're the only one for me," he said with a smile. She sniffed as she smiled. "Really?" she asked. He brushed her hair back and kissed her on the forehead. "Really," he whispered back.

They walked to her apartment, hand in hand, until they stopped at her door. "Goodnight," he said as he hugged her. "Goodnight," she said as she returned the embrace. When he had walked away from the door, he frowned and sighed. 'Why didn't you tell her? That was you're best chance! I'm such an idiot! If she ever finds out, she'll never forgive me,' he thought to himself.

Julie-Su quickly showered, threw on her evening gown and jumped into bed with a smile on her face. Her faith in Knuckles was completely restored. She smiled dreamily as she thought of him, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Mighty went out to look for Knuckles, but had trouble locating his friend. He wasn't at home, or in the city, so there was a lot of Island to cover. Mighty searched for half an hour before finding Knuckles sitting on the island's edge. As he approached, he noticed a confused, sad look in Knuckles' eyes. "Knux! What's up, man?" Mighty asked as he sat down next to his friend. Knuckles sighed and looked at Mighty. "Can I trust you to keep a secret?" Mighty looked confused for a moment, but shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "Yeah! Why couldn't you?" he said. "This is something I've never told anyone before. You need to swear that you won't tell anyone," Knuckles said. "Okay..." Mighty answered, chuckling. He stopped when he saw the seriousness on Knuckles' face. "Mighty, I'm serious! If you tell anyone about this, and I mean anyone, I swear I'll never speak to you again."

Mighty stared for a moment in surprise, then put his hand on Knuckles' shoulder. "Knux, we've been friends for how long now? Anything you say is between us. That's a promise. We're bros., man!" Knuckles smiled, reassured. "Alright. Well, the truth is...I didn't tell you guys the whole story about when I met Rouge..."

"What do you wanna do now?" she asked him. "I dunno. You wanna go for a walk?" he replied. "Okay," she said as she took his hand, which caused him to blush. "Knuckles, you don't have to be shy around me," she said to him reassuringly. "I know, Sally...but-" "Then come on! Let's go!" she said with a smile as she pulled him along. They walked along a small trail in the woods, still hand in hand, until they reached a small pond. "What's this called?" she asked. "It's called..." THUD!!!

Knuckles opened his eyes in surprise. He had dosed off for about a minute, and then he heard a loud crashing sound. He got up and looked around, but couldn't see anything. Not because it was getting dark, but because this part of the jungle was thick. He could, however, hear some commotion going on not far from there. Being it was his job, he was obliged to investigate. He quietly crept up to where the sound had come from, only to see Rouge out cold on the ground surrounded by a bunch of gorillas.

"Nice shot with that stone! Right in the side of the head!" one of them said. "It was a nice shot, wasn't it? She'll wake up and wish that she'd known that we gorillas don't like strangers!" "Well, I really don't like guys that attack girls, so I guess we all have a problem!" They all turned to see Knuckles flying right at them. Before they could retaliate, Knuckles had beaten them senseless.

Rouge began to stir, so Knuckles quickly ran over and knelt down beside her. "Rouge? Are You alright?" he asked. Her face turned towards him as she slowly opened her eyes. "G-guardian? Where...OW!" she said as she put her hands on the side of her head. "Let me see that." Knuckles said as he removed her hands and inspected the wound. "You're bleeding. Doubt you can walk either. You'd be too dizzy. Just hang on," he said as he gently lifted her up into his arms. They both blushed a little, him more than her, as he took her through the jungle. "Where are we going?" she asked. "I need some water to wash the cut first before I bandage it," he replied. He stopped walking when they reached a pond, the same pond he had dreamt about. He gently laid her down and began to gather some wood. In no time, he had a fire going. He walked over to the pond, scooped some water up in a shell, and began to wash the cut.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "You're welcome," he replied, not looking at her, his whole attention on her cut. "Okay. It's clean. Now give me a second..." he said as he stepped over to a tree and pulled at some weeds. He came back to her and she looked at the weeds curiously. "This will sting a little," he said as he squeezed a liquid out of the weeds onto her cut. Rouge clenched her teeth and moaned for a second, as Knuckles pulled out a bandage from a secret compartment in his shoe. He always kept one handy if he ever needed it. He wrapped up the cut and smiled. "There you go. Now sit for a few minutes until you're ready to stand up."

While she sat down, he leaned against a tree a few feet away from her. They sat in silence for a minute or so, until she broke the silence. "I don't even know you're name," she said. "Knuckles. That's my name." "That was really sweet of you to help me, Knuckles," Knuckles blushed slightly. She smiled when she noticed this and said, "Why are you standing over there?" His head shot up and he stuttered, "Uhh...I-I...uhhh..." "Why don't you come over here and sit next to me?" she said, patting the ground next to her. Slowly and reluctantly, he walked over and sat down next to her. He glanced over at her to see that she was smiling at him. "So are you doing anything special for Valentines Day?" she asked. He shook his head with a sad look of his face. "No. I don't have anyone to celebrate it with. I...live alone," he said in a depressed voice. Her eyes widened in surprise as she frowned. "That's so sad..." she said. He lifted his head when he noticed that she was holding his hand. They stared at each other for a moment, until she finally said, "You know...you're really cute..." Knuckles blushed as he said, "Uhhh...th-thanks. You're r-really...pretty..." They found themselves leaning closer together until their lips met in a kiss. She slowly pulled away, looked at him, and smiled. "Happy Valentines Day, Knuckles," she whispered as she kissed him again.

"And that's what we did for most of the night. Then I took her home and explained about the cut. We both woke up early the next morning so we could see each other again before she left." Mighty just stared at Knuckles in surprise. He expected this secret to be big, but this was huge! "Wow," was all he could say. "I know," Knuckles said with his head down. "I tried to tell Julie about it last night when I brought her home, but she was worried that something happened between us...and I freaked out... and I changed the subject to us so that I wouldn't have to answer it. She's smart. She'll realize that I evaded the question, and she'll find out the truth, and then she'll hate me! RRRRR! I don't know what to do!!!" he shouted.

"You want my advice? Tell her. Tell her before she figures it out for herself. It may hurt, but she'll appreciate the fact that you had the guts to tell her, rather than keep it from her," Mighty suggested. "If you really care about her, and I know you're crazy about her, then you'll tell her." Knuckles sighed, but then looked up at Mighty and smiled. "You're right, Mighty. I've avoided it long enough. I'm gonna go find her now and tell her," he said as they got up. "Thanks for the advice...and for being such a good friend." Knuckles said as he smiled. "No problem. And this is between us. No one else will know...except Julie-Su, of course, but you get the idea!" Mighty said as they both began to laugh. " So are you gonna swing by the Commons Hall for the concert tonight?" Mighty asked. "Wouldn't miss it for the world," Knuckles replied, "I gotta go find her, now. See ya later!" he said as he began to run away. "Hey!" Mighty yelled, stopping Knuckles. "What?" Knuckles asked. "Whenever I talk to her, she asks about you. She really likes you," Mighty said with a smile. "Really?" Knuckles asked with a smile. "Like you wouldn't believe. She told me herself. I'm happy for you, bro. You're a lucky guy," Mighty said. "I know," Knuckles said as he smiled back and ran off to Echidnapolis to search for the girl of his dreams.


	3. BAD DAY

BAD DAY

Julie-Su felt as if she was on top of the world. She strolled happily down the street with a bright smile on her face. She had great friends, lived in a great city, and had a great guy in her life. She sighed dreamily at the thought of Knuckles. 'I must be the luckiest guy on Mobius to be with a sweet, handsome guy like him!' she thought to herself. 'I don't even care about that Rouge girl anymore! He's honest with me, and he told me that they didn't...' She stopped walking as the smile faded from her face. Her mouth hung slightly open as she began to wonder. 'He never did say that they...was he avoiding the...would he hide that from me?' She sat down on a bench, trying to figure out what to do. 'Do I ask him? No. If nothing did happen, he would think I was accusing him of cheating on me. I don't want to make him mad...' Finally, a thought dawned on her mind. 'Should I ask Sally for advice? Maybe she would know what to do.' She quickly got up and ran back towards her apartment, hoping that her assumptions about Knuckles were wrong.

"Sally! We got a message for you from the Floating Island!" Tails yelled out the hut window. Sally, who was welcoming some new refugees to Knothole, excused herself and ran in. "Okay. Patch it through," she said. Sally was surprised when Julie-Su's nervous face showed up on the monitor. "Julie-Su! Hi! What's wrong?" Sally asked with great concern. "Can I talk to you alone?" she asked. Sally motioned for Tails to leave and he did so. "What's up?" Sally asked. "Well...It's about that girl, Rouge..." Julie-Su began. "I asked Knuckles last night if anything happened between them, and he said not to worry. That I was the only one for him." "Well, then what's the problem?" Sally asked. "He didn't answer the question," Julie-Su replied.

Sally widened her eyes in surprise. "So you think they..." "I don't know what to do, Sally. I know that he wouldn't lie to me, but I'm scared to ask him about it again...I don't know what to do," Julie-Su said as she sighed. "Ask her," Sally suggested. Julie-Su looked up, rather confused. "Ask Rouge. Just say to her 'Hi, Rouge. I'm Knuckles' friend, Julie-Su. Listen, this is going to be an odd question, but I need to know if anything happened between you and Knuckles. It's really important and I'd appreciate it if you'd just tell me', and that's all there is too it!" Sally said with a smile. "I guess your right...I have to know. Thanks, Sally. You're a good friend!" Julie-Su said with a smile. "No problem. And don't worry about this so much. I'm sure it's all in your head. I can tell Knux likes you. Talk to you later!" "Bye!" Julie-Su stood up, knowing what she had to do, and was out the door. She had to know the truth. She had to...no matter what. Sally walked out the door of the hut as Tails walked up with Sonic and Bunnie. "What's up with Julie-Su? What was so important?" Tails asked. "It's nothing," Sally answered. 'I hope...'

Knuckles quickly ran down the street to Julie-Su's apartment, only to find that she wasn't there. "Shoot. Now where would she go-," he said, stopping mid sentence when he saw her two blocks away running away from him. "Julie! Wait up!" he yelled, but she couldn't hear him. He began to run after her, but stopped short when he heard gunshots. "Why now?" he asked as he ran in the opposite direction.

It was starting to get very dark and cloudy. It was going to rain tonight. Julie-Su knew she had to hurry if she wanted to beat the rain. She turned the corner to the street where Rouge said she was staying, only to see the white bat walking up to the door of the apartment house. Rouge reached to open the door when she heard someone calling out her name. She turned around to see a pink echidna running towards her. The one she had met the night before. "Oh, hi! Julie-Su, right?" she asked as her guest huffed and puffed. "Yeah...Listen...I need to ask you something," Julie-Su said, looking at Rouge with a nervous expression on her face. "Sure," she answered, a bit confused about the whole matter. "This is really important, so please don't ask any questions and just answer this one: Did anything happen between you and Knuckles when you met?" Rouge's eyes widened as she blushed. "Well, this is kinda sudden...but yeah. We kissed each other a few times. He saved me from some gorillas and took me to this little pond in the jungle to bandage my injury. It was Valentines Day, and I thought he was cute, so I kissed him, and he kissed me back, and we spent most of the night together," she said.

Julie-Su bit her lip as her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She felt as if she had been kicked continuously in the stomach and was about to keel over. She started to feel sick, like she was going to throw up. She turned her back to Rouge as the tears that had gathered in her eyes got ready to fall. Rouge looked at Julie-Su with great concern. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked. "No..." Julie-Su sighed.

Just then, Knuckles turned around the corner and gasped. There was Julie-Su, with her back to Rouge, looking as if she was going to die. "Julie!" he yelled as he ran up to them. When they turned around to see him, Julie-Su's tears began to fall along with the rain. She turned around again and began to run. "Julie! Wait!" Knuckles yelled as he darted after her. Rouge stood there in confusion. "What just happened?" She gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Were they...oh, no..."

Julie-Su heard him yelling for her to stop running, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to hear any more excuses. Any more lies. She turned to go down an alley, hoping to lose him, but he quickly caught up and grabbed her arm. "Julie! Listen-"he began before receiving a hard slap right across the face. "I deserve that. But listen-" "NO! You listen! Did you think I was stupid?!?! That I wouldn't figure it out?!?! Why did you lie to me?!?!" she said as she slapped him again. Rain splattered from his dreadlocks as she slapped him. "Julie! I was going to tell you! I saw you at your apartment, but there was a robbery and I had to-"Slap again. This time, it was harder. "I'm sick to death of your excuses and your lies, Knuckles!!! So you took her to the pond in the jungle, huh??? The same one you took me to?!?!" Knuckles' mouth was hanging open. This was all happening so fast, he didn't know what to say. He had taken Julie-Su there after their first date on his birthday. It was perhaps the most romantic spot on the island.

"What about Sally?!?! Did you take her there, too?!?!" she asked in a furious voice. "Hey! We were kids!" "There you go again!!! Changing the freakin' subject to try and save yourself!!! ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. He didn't answer, but she knew what the answer was when he let out a sigh. "So is that it?!?! Am I just the next chick on the menu?!?! First Sally, then Rouge, now me?!?! Who's next?!?! YOU SLEAZY...!!!" she yelled as she slapped him yet again. Knuckles' cheek was almost as red as he was, but he didn't notice it. "Julie!!! Listen to yourself! Sal and I were friends! Rouge...that was a spur of the moment type thing! I was alone for so long...all I wanted was someone to be with! But you're different! I love you!" he said. "How can I believe you?!?! After what you kept from me!!! You never even told me that you loved me until now!!! You never said anything about having feelings for me!!! I just assumed that you liked me!!!" she yelled, tears still flowing from her eyes.

"If you won't believe in what I say, then believe in this," he said as he pulled her to him and kissed her. She tried to resist when he pulled her to him, but when he kissed her she just rolled with it, hoping deep down that the Soultouch would make things better. After about a second, Knuckles stopped kissing her and opened his eyes in shock. He pulled his lips away from hers and stared at her. Instead of anger , there was great sadness. He put his finger on his lips and was speechless. It was gone. The feeling, the passion, the love...the Soultouch...all gone. "I...I don't understand. How can this...? I love you..." "Obviously you don't. It happened to your parents, and now it's happened to us," she said, as tears erupted from her eyes. "This is all your fault!!! I HATE YOU, KNUCKLES!!!" she screamed as she slapped him as hard as she possibly could and ran out of the alley.

Knuckles staggered a bit from the blow, but when he regained his footing, he just stared as she disappeared around the corner. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't believe it. He shuttered and put his hands over his heart. It felt like there was a freezing chunk of ice in his chest. He looked up again and muttered, "...J-Julie..." One sentence repeated over and over in his mind: "I HATE YOU, KNUCKLES!!! I HATE YOU, KNUCKLES!!! I HATE..."

Mighty was walking down the street with an umbrella, heading towards the Commons Hall to meet the guys. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt with the hood over his head, being that it was cold. As he walked, he heard a familiar voice crying as a familiar echidna ran towards him. "Julie-Su?" he asked, stepping in front of her. She tried to go around him, but he grabbed her wrist, being careful not to hurt her with his great strength. "Julie-Su, what's wrong? Jeez, you're soaked! Why are you crying?" "Because your best friend is the sleaziest guy I've ever met! I can't believe I ever believed that he really liked me!" she yelled as she tried to pull her wrist out of Mighty's hand. "You mean Knux? He didn't talk to you about..." "HE TOLD YOU INSTEAD OF ME?!?!?!" she yelled, stopping Mighty mid-sentence, looking at him with a mix of surprise and anger on her face. In his confusion, Mighty loosened his grip, she pulled her wrist free, and ran away in tears.

"Oh, man. I can't just let her go like that, but I need to go to the Hall tonight...I really need the money," he said, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, he had a thought and pulled out his cell phone. "No service?!? Why now?!?" he said as he shoved the phone back into the pouch of his sweatshirt, growling. He looked around and found a pay phone not too far away. He ran over and tried to get into the booth, but his umbrella caught the top of the door and pulled him backwards and laid him flat on his back. "Ouch," he moaned sarcastically as he got up. He put his hand into the pouch, only to remember that he had no money with him. Actually, he had no money at all. He was broke. "Not my DAY!!!" he yelled as he made a collect call. "Hopefully this thing has LONG distance," he muttered.

It was also raining down in Knothole. Sonic, Tails, Antoine and Rotor were playing cards while Sally, Bunnie and Amy were talking about nails and hair. Yep, they were bored. Suddenly, Nicole started beeping, gaining everyone's attention. Sally flipped Nicole open and asked, "What is it, Nicole?" "You have a collect call from Mighty. Do you wish to accept charges?" "Hell, no!" Sonic said. "I like the guy, but not that much!" "Yes, Nicole. Take it out of Sonic's account," Sally said, glaring at Sonic. Sonic sighed as he and the others went back to their card game. "Go fish," he growled.

"What's up, Mighty?" Sally asked. They could hear it raining in the background of the call. "Uhhh...I was you guys come up here? Like right now?" he asked. Sally raised a brow. "It's kind of sudden, don't you think?" Sally said. "Well, we kinda have an emergency. Julie-Su and Knuckles...well, they broke up."

"WHAT???" Sally yelled as the others looked at her in wonder. "I know. Last night, they were fine, but today...well I'm not obliged to mention the details, and now she hates him." Sally was really hit by this. "Could you hurry it up? The bill's gonna be huge at this rate!" Sonic said. "SHUT UP, SONIC!!!" Sally yelled angrily, shocking everyone and telling them that the call was serious. "I spoke to her a few hours ago. Does this have anything to do with that girl, Rouge?" "You guessed it. Listen, I feel bad dumping this on you guys, and not doing anything myself, but me and the Chaotix have to...work tonight. And we really need the money. I haven't even seen Knux yet. I'm sure he isn't taking it well." "Don't worry, Mighty. We'll be right over. It's no problem," Sally said. "Thanks, Sal. You're a lifesaver. Oh, man! I'm gonna be late! Bye! 'Click!'"

About an hour later, they were knocking on the door of Julie-Su's apartment. "Julie-Su! Come on, open the door. We just wanna talk," Sally said. "Just go away, Sally! You're the lucky one! You didn't become involved with him like I did!" Sally sighed, and Amy decided to try. "I'm sure that Knuckles-""I NEVER WANT TO HEAR THAT SLEAZY DIRTBAG'S NAME AGAIN!!!" Julie-Su yelled. From outside the door, they could hear her crying uncontrollably. "Let's try and find Knux," Tails suggested. Sonic ran over to Knuckles' home and knocked on the door, but he wasn't there. They asked around for about ten minutes, until someone said they saw the Guardian walking into the Commons Hall. After getting directions, they hurried over, and were a bit surprised. There was a rock concert going on tonight, and the headliner was a band named "The Chaotix". "Uhhh...O-kay. Hmmm...Well, I guess we might as well go in," Sonic said. They followed him into the Commons Hall, and were stunned at what they saw. Up on the stage, Mighty was shouting into a microphone as Vector played guitar, Espio played bass guitar, and Ray played drums. A crowd of teenagers was jumping up in down, some pushing each other back and forth. They sat for a second and listened to Mighty sing.

I woke up this morning and knew,  
That the world would test me come unglued.  
Is it me or do you feel my pain,  
This world makes my blood boil again.

You rip the heart out of me! Rip the heart out of me!  
You make it look easy.  
You rip the heart out of me! Rip the heart out of me!  
Control and deceive me.  
You rip the heart out of me! Rip the heart out of me!

They stopped listening when Sally noticed Knuckles leaning against the wall with his head down. It was dark, so they couldn't make out his facial features, but they knew that they weren't happy ones. "Knuckles?" Sally asked as she tapped his shoulder. He looked up and was shocked. He quickly turned his back to them and wiped his eyes. "What...what are you doing here?" he asked in a depressed voice. Sally turned him around to see that his eyes were very glossy. "We heard about what happened...and we wanna help you," she answered. "Yeah, Knux! What exactly DID happen?" Sonic asked. "Nothing that I couldn't have prevented. I made a choice to keep secrets from her...and it was a bad one to make. Now I have to live with my decision," he said, sighing as he put his head down. 

"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad! Just give her a few days to cool off, then sit down and talk with her. Then you'll live happily ever a-""SHUT UP, SONIC!!!" Knuckles yelled. "Knuckles, we're just trying to-""You can't help, okay?!?! It's over! We're done! The Soultouch is gone! There's proof right there!" Knuckles' shoulders began to sag as he put his head down again. "Soul what?" Tails asked. "That iz a very good qwestion." Antoine said. "It tells echidnas who their supposed to be with. Ya know? Their mate in life," Bunnie said.

Sally looked at Knuckles and said., "But you still love her, so maybe there's still a chance! Right now you just need some advice on how to handle-""Oh, and you're the perfect person to give me advice on my love life, huh Sally?!?! You have a perfect love story with blue boy, don't you?!?! Guess again!!!" Knuckles said, getting irritated. "Hey, back off!!!" Sonic yelled, getting between Knuckles and Sally. "You wanna mess, pushover?!?! Huh?!?! Well I'm right here!!! I'm ri-"Suddenly, Knuckles had a strange look in his eyes as his hands began to tremble and he started to breathe like he was freezing cold. "Hey, you okay?" Sonic asked, giving Knuckles a curious look. "Knuckles?" Sally asked. Knuckles' nose began to bleed as his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he began to stagger, still shaking. Amy screamed when she saw his eyes. "KNUCKLES!!!" Sally yelled. Knuckles' body began to fall backwards, but Bunnie and Antoine caught him and laid him down on the ground. "What's happening to him?!?!" Amy shouted. "I don't know!" Rotor yelled. Knuckles' body continued to shake slightly as his nose continued to bleed. His eyelids were wide open, but his eyes were still rolled back. "Tails! Go get Mighty!" Sonic yelled, knowing he wouldn't be able to run through the crowd.

"You all look good tonight!!!" Mighty yelled, getting a large response from the audience. "Well, here we go agai-""Mighty!!!" Tails yelled as he sailed over the crowd. "Tails? What are you doing here?" Mighty asked, rather confused. "Something's wrong with Knux! Look!" Tails said as he pointed to Knuckles in the back, lying on the ground. "Oh, man! EVERYBODY CLEAR A PATH!!!" Mighty yelled into the microphone as he jumped off the stage. The other members of the Chaotix soon followed as the crowd moved away so they could get through. Mighty knelt down next to Knuckles and was shocked. "What the hell is happening to him?!?!" Mighty asked. "We don't know! He seemed fine, then this started happening!" Amy responded. Knuckles arched his back, as if something was going to pop right out of his stomach, and then his body flopped down, his eyes closed, and he was out cold. Mighty's eyes widened as he stood up and yelled, "WE NEED A PARAMEDIC OVER HERE!!!"

Author's Note: Just for reference, I don't own the words to "Rip the Heart Out". That belongs to Adema. And...yeah, that's it.


	4. PAST MEMORIES, PRESENT PROBLEMS

PAST MEMORIES, PRESENT PROBLEMS

**Author's Note:** Sorry it took so long to get these last chapters up. I've been swamped with Cross Country and homework. This goes out to Crazy the Echidna, my first reviewer. Thanx for the support, man! Anyway, here we go!

"He's beautiful, Locke!" "Just like his mother." "What will we name him?" "These spurs give me an idea. We will call him Knuckles, after the warrior clan his ancestors descended from."

_FLASH "Can you say mommy?" FLASH "Can you name the first Guardian?"_

_FLASH "How did my little angel sleep last night?" FLASH "Good, you're awake. Hurry and eat. We need to begin martial arts training in ten minutes._

_FLASH "Are you having fun, sweetie?" FLASH "Find the value of x in this equation."_

Lara-Le was watching the news when her new husband, Wyn, walked in the door. "How was work, Wyn?" she asked. "Boring as usual. How are you and the baby?" he said as he put his arms around her. "We're both fine. Just think! In a few more weeks we'll have a beautiful baby in our lives!" she said with a happy smile as he sat down on the couch with her. "I can hardly wait," he replied. "I just know that Knuckles is going to be a great big brother! But I wonder how he feels about it? He already has enough stress being the Guardian," Lara-Le said, looking a bit troubled. "He's very responsible, and can take care of himself. You don't need to worry about him," Wyn said with a smile.

"So what's on?" he asked. "The dingo housing problem again," she said with a sigh. "What else is new?" Wyn said sarcastically. The news announcer stopped and looked off to the side of the screen for a second, catching their attention. "I have just received word that the Guardian has been rushed over to Echidnapolis Hospital for unknown reasons. Paramedics at the Commons Hall we're baffled at the Guardian's rapid ailment. We'll have more on this story as it unfolds." "Wyn! Knuckles is in the hospital! I have to see if he's alright!" Lara-Le yelled, standing up. "I'll go get a cab. Grab your coat and umbrella. You can't afford to get sick with the baby due in a few weeks!" Wyn said as he threw on his coat and ran out the door. "Knuckles...please be okay, sweetheart," Lara-Le whispered as she rushed to get her coat.

Mighty sat on a stool next to Knuckles' hospital bed. All the others were sitting on benches, waiting in silence. Mighty didn't want to leave Knuckles' side until he was sure he was okay. Knuckles was his best friend. Knuckles' vitals were normal, his pulse stable, and his breathing regular. The only major thing the doctors had to do was wipe the blood away from his muzzle. What had happened to him? All they could do was wait.

Finally, Lara-Le and Wyn came rushing in the door. "Knuckles! Oh, my God, is he okay? Mighty, please tell me he's going to-""He's fine, milady. That's what's so strange. It's like he's sleeping or something," Mighty said, trying to calm his friend's worried mother. Lara-Le sat down next to Knuckles and rubbed her hand along the side of his face. "What happened?" Wyn asked. "I can answer that," an echidna doctor said as he walked in from a back room. "Well? Don't leave us in suspense, doc!" Vector snapped. "We ran every possible test to see if we could find some sort of problem, but they all came up negative. Then we checked his brain schematics, and it was there that we discovered something rather interesting," the doctor said, glancing over at the peaceful form of Knuckles.

They all turned when the door burst open again, and in ran Locke, Knuckles' father. "Knuckles! Is he all right? What's happened to my son?" Locke asked as he ran up to Knuckles' bedside next to Mighty and Lara-Le. "The doctor was just getting to that," Lara-Le said. "As I was saying, his brain schematics showed abnormal signs in the area of the brain that stores memories. After a thorough analysis of the schematics, we discovered the problem." "WELL?!?!" Locke said, raising his voice in irritation. The doctor gulped, and continued with his explanation. "Repressed memories are re-surfacing in his mind, causing his body to react to the sudden surge in strange ways. It's like getting electric shocked, in a way. In his case, he suffered from intense muscle spasms."

"But what caused this? It's never happened before," Espio asked. "Well, perhaps great amounts of stress. We all know how stressful the life of a Guardian can be, so perhaps that could be the cause. Can anyone verify this?" The doctor asked, looking at them. "Well..." Mighty began, "His girlfriend broke up with him today." "What?" Locke and Lara-Le said in complete synchronization. "Long story that I don't wish to tell," Mighty said with a sigh. "Well, I suppose if they were close..." the doctor began. "They were Soultouched," Mighty threw in. "That would do it," the doctor said as he nodded. "Does he have any emotional problems?" the doctor asks. "If not talking about them counts as a problem, then yes," Sonic said. "That is a serious problem. This cou-"

Suddenly, Knuckles' head shot up as he gasped and looked around with a strange look of confusion in his eyes. "Wha-what happened?!?! Where-""Calm down, Knux," Tails said as he smiled at his confused echidna friend. "Knuckles! I'm so glad you're okay, sweetie!" Lara-Le said as she leaned over and hugged her son. "Mom? Dad? What...happened?" he asked as he looked around at everyone and then at the doctor. "I'll explain it to you, Guardian," the doctor said as Vector groaned, not wanting to hear it again.

The doctor explained the problem thoroughly to Knuckles, who was highly shocked by this news. "Now I've been told that you don't go to anyone for emotional support. This is another cause of the problem. These attacks are triggered by severe emotional stress. Unless you want this to happen again, then you'd better start...how to put it...spilling your guts," the doctor said. "So this could happen again? But is it really a problem? I mean...there's only so much I can re-remember. Once I remember all that I've repressed, won't it stop?" Knuckles asked. "That is unknown, and is the reason why I'm against letting one of these attacks happen again. And if it does, you do not require medical attention. Just some rest to let your mind reboot itself. But still, I advise that you try and seek some kind of counseling, or even just talk with your friends and family about your feelings."

Knuckles just sat in silence. The doctor then averted his attention to Lara-Le. "So, how's the baby?" he asked. "Fine. Still kicking around," she said as she smiled and sat down next to her son. "You're going to be a big brother soon. The baby will be so lucky to have a brother as smart, as kind, as honest-"The word honest stabbed at him and caused him to flinch, making Lara-Le stop mid-sentence. "Don't say that, mom. Just stop talking," he said as his sad face drooped down. "Isn't Julie-Su going to come? Did anyone call her?" Wyn asked, forgetting what Mighty had said earlier. Knuckles' body flinched again at the mention of her name. "Either way, she wouldn't. And she has every reason not to come," he said as he stood up. "Thanks for your help, but right now, I want to go home. I'm...I'm tired," he sighed as he walked for the door.

Sonic stood in front of the door and said, "Perhaps you should follow the doc's advice and talk about this. It'd be a lot better than moping around." Knuckles looked up, glaring, and punched him right across the face. "Don't you dare try and tell me what's good for me!!! I don't see you and Sally getting all cozy, so why don't you work on that instead of worrying about me and...and..." He found that he couldn't even speak her name, growled in frustration, and ran out the door. "At this rate," the doctor said as the others helped Sonic get up, "he'll be having another attack at any time."

Smash!!! Another picture of himself shattered against the wall. "IDIOT!!!" he yelled as he picked up a chair and flung it across the room. "STUPID!!!" he shouted as he picked up yet another picture and threw it at the wall. The frame shattered and a fragment of glass flew and cut his arm. He looked down at it and watched as it healed at an alarming rate. "I can heal that...but I can't heal our broken bond," he whispered to himself. The storm intensified outside as lightning flashed and thunder bellowed. "She was everything to me...she made me feel like I mattered...like I had a reason to get up every day." He growled in frustration and anger and yelled out, "I WAS TRULY HAPPY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, AND I HAD TO GO AND SCREW IT ALL UP!!!"

He sat down on his couch and picked up a picture that was hanging up beside it on the wall. It was of them on their first date. It was probably his favorite picture. She was resting her head against his chest as they were posing for the picture. His arms were around her waist awhile her hands were mounted on his shoulders. He loved her smile in that picture. She looked so happy. So did he. A tear rolled down his face, as he couldn't find himself to destroy it. Once again, he felt that cold chunk of ice in his heart...where he used to feel her.

Suddenly, he began to feel cold, even tough he had started a fire in the fireplace. He knew, however, that he wasn't cold. He had felt like this before. Earlier this evening. He stood up, but quickly collapsed to the floor. His eyes rolled back and his nose began bleeding again. He arched his back, and once again flopped down onto the floor.

"_Locke, why don't you let Knuckles play and have fun like other children his age?" "Because he isn't like other children his age! He has a duty to fulfill, and I have to prepare him for it?" "Did your father do all of this for you?" "All Guardians go through this! It's a standard requirement!" "Ju Jitsu is the standard requirement of a four year old? Locke, please! You're teaching him mathematics that I didn't learn till I was much older than he is!" "Lara, you need to accept Knuckles' responsibilities. It'll be time very soon for him to go." "Go? Go where?" "Go with me back home. To the Floating Island." "Locke! This is his home! I'm his mother! I'm not letting you take him! Don't tell me that you had to leave home at this age, because I know you didn't until you were at least nine or ten!" "Lara, listen to me! Knuckles is...different from the previous Guardians. He has a destiny that only the Walkers themselves can foresee. It hurts me too to take away his childhood. It really does. And I know it hurts...but in about two weeks time...you'll have to let him go." "...Fine. Take my child! Take my pride and joy! Take my little boy away from me! You guardians are all monsters! All of you!" "This was their decision. Not mine. My father, Hawking, and I were all against this, but we were overruled. I'm sorry, Lara." "You aren't the echidna I married. Locke would have rather died than see this happen to his son! You? You're a coward! ...I-I'm filing for a divorce." "Lara?" "Goodbye, Locke. I hope you're happy with the life you've chosen for yourself."_

"Thanks for letting us crash last night, guys," Sonic said as they walked through the woods. "Sorry you had to get stuck here. I can't believe the storm got so bad! I mean, look at the woods!" Espio exclaimed as he outstretched his arms in front of them. There were downed trees, branches and logs flung about. The storm greatly intensified during the night. "Ah hope Knux is feelin' betta today," Bunnie said. "I just hope he made it home okay through this storm," Sally said in a nervous voice. Sonic grumbled as he rubbed the left side of his face. "So what's with the whole band thing you guys got goin' on?" Rotor asked. "Oh yeah. After what happened, I forgot about that," Sonic said. "Well, long story short, we discovered each others musical talents and decided 'Hey! Let's make a job outta this!' Now we play at the Commons Hall every weekend," Mighty said. "Neat," Tails said as he stepped over a downed tree.

Knuckles' cave was the same. Just a cave. Mighty walked up and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he opened it slightly to peek in and gasped. He threw the door open, revealing Knuckles' motionless body lying on the floor amongst broken glass and mangled picture frames. "Not again!" Amy yelled as they all ran over to his side. "Help me get him into the next room! We can lie him down on the bed!" Mighty yelled as he and Vector took his arms and legs and gently carried him over to his bed and laid him down. They were relieved to see that he was okay.

The Freedom Fighters looked around, a little surprised at their surroundings. The bedroom was pretty ordinary. A bed, a dresser with some picture of his friends and family on it, a closet, and a lamp. The other room had a couch, a table, some chairs that were thrown about the room, a fireplace, and an indoor waterfall. Although it was a mess, being that there was glass all over the floor, it was a lot nicer inside than they had expected it to be. Amy picked a picture up from the floor and looked at it. It was the picture Knuckles had refused to break. She walked over to Mighty and asked him, "Was this on his birthday?" Mighty smiled when he saw the picture. "Yeah," he replied. All of the Freedom Fighters gathered around to take a glance. Sally took the picture and rubbed her finger along it. "Look at his face... he looks so happy. I've never seen him smile like that before," she sighed. Suddenly, Knuckles began to stir. "He's coming to," Rotor said to alert the others.

Knuckles slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his head. He sat up and looked around to see his friends around him. "What...why are you all..." "We couldn't fly through the storm, so we crashed here," Sonic said. Knuckles looked over at Sally, who was still holding the picture, and took it from her gently. "I'll take that," he said as he placed it in his dresser and closed it. "Listen...I'm sorry for what I said about you and Sonic last night. I...I was way out of line. Just because I was angry with myself doesn't mean I have the right to lash out at other people. I...I'm sorry," he said as he looked at Sally, then Sonic. "And I think I owe you a free shot," Knuckles said as he stood up in front of Sonic, looking at the bruise on the side of the hedgehog's face. Sonic smirked, then sighed. "I hate to pass up a free shot on you, Knux, but you're hurtin' enough already." Sonic frowned when he saw his friend's head droop.

"What exactly is the problem with you two?" Espio asked, since nobody knew any of the actual details. "I...I really don't wanna think about it," Knuckles whispered. "Then at least tell us about these flashback attacks. What have you been remembering?" Vector suggested. "It's really strange...like my life is flashing before my eyes. The first time it happened, my parents were deciding what to name me...and then last night, they were arguing about me and my responsibilities as Guardian. It all comes rushing so quickly...it's-it's...like dying or something," he said, scaring everyone else in the room. "Don't say zat! It iz very...very creepy!" Antoine said, shivering. "Yeah, don't scare us!" Amy scolded. Suddenly, Knuckles' head came up and he walked towards the door. "Where's the fire?" Tails yelped as Knuckles walked by him. "During my last flashback, my mom said she was going to divorce my dad. J-Julie said that we were ending up like my parents. I'm not going to lose her and be forced to marry someone I don't love so that the Brotherhood can have their next Guardian! I had that flashback for a reason. I'm talking to her now, whether she likes it or not!" With this said he ran out the door and disappeared into the woods.

When he got to Julie-Su's apartment, he was at a loss for words. There she was, packing he few possessions into the back of a cab. He watched as she stepped into the cab and they began to pull away. "No...NO!!! JULIE, WAIT!!!" he yelled as he tore after the cab. The cab driver looked in his rear view mirror and noticed an echidna chasing them. "Hey miss, should I stop for that guy?" he asked. Julie-Su looked back and sighed. She turned around and wiped a tear off her cheek. "No...just keep going," she said just above a whisper. "Sure? He seems to know ya," the cab driver said. "He may know me, but I don't know him," she said. 'I only thought I did," she thought to herself as a tear fell from her eye.

The cab pulled to a stop at a red light, which aggravated Julie-Su. She had hoped to avoid seeing him again. He ran up to the window panting. "Julie, wait! Don't leave!" "Why shouldn't I?!? The only reason I ever decided to stay here was because of you!!! Go find your next girlfriend, why don't ya?!?!" she yelled out the window. "Julie-""No! You can't change my mind! I have nothing worth staying here for. I'll miss the guys...but I can't stay here just to watch you flirting with other girls! Wake up! I don't love you anymore!!!" Knuckles just stared at her angry eyes. "Goodbye Knuckles. I hope you're happy with the life you've chosen for yourself." Knuckles just stood there as he watched her face move farther and farther away, until she was out of sight. He fell to his knees with his hands over his heart. He could feel that cold, icy feeling again, only it was stronger this time. It felt as if his blood was freezing inside his body.

"Hey! Get outta the road, punk!" someone yelled as he beeped his horn. Knuckles slowly stood up. "Yeah, I'm talking to you! Move it!" Knuckles turned to him, revealing who he was. "Oh! I-I'm sorry, Guardian! I didn't realize...you must have your reasons..." Knuckles didn't even pay any attention to him. He clenched his fists and teeth until he looked up at the sky and yelled out in frustration as loud as he could. He growled, scaled the side of a building, and glided away as fast as he could.


	5. THE SEARCH IS ON

THE SEARCH IS ON

**Author's Note:** Sorry it took so long to get these last chapters up. I've been swamped with Cross Country and homework. This goes out to Crazy the Echidna, my first reviewer. Thanx for the support, man! Anyway, here we go!

Mighty pushed back some branches as he walked through the woods. Today had been very eventful. He still couldn't get over the fact that Julie-Su had left without even saying goodbye. She was apparently more upset than anyone could have predicted. Right now, however, he wasn't looking for her. He was looking for another upset echidna.

He stepped out of the woods and saw Knuckles sitting on the edge of the island, looking off into the horizon. Mighty took a deep breath, walked over, and sat down next to his friend. For a long while, they sat there in silence. "...Sh-she's gone, Mighty," Knuckles finally said. "I know. I went to her apartment. How do you feel? And don't try lying to me," Mighty said, as he looked to see that Knuckles' eyes were very glassy. "I feel miserable..." he muttered. "Knux...there's no one else around. The others are still in the city. It's just you and me out here. All I'm saying is...if you need a shoulder to cry on...I'm here for you," Mighty said. He smiled slightly when he saw tears fall from his friends' eyes. He put his arm around him to let Knuckles know that he was there, and watched as the echidna buried his face in his hands. "There were so many things I never told her," Knuckles whispered. "It's okay, Knux. It's okay..." Knuckles wasn't sobbing or anything like that, but Mighty could feel his body tremble as he shuttered. "I'm such a jerk," Knuckles muttered.

Soon after, the two friends were walking through the woods, headed towards the city. Knuckles had decided to explain the whole story to Mighty, which made Mighty glad. Knuckles felt that he could trust him. "That would explain why she said you were sleazy," Mighty said with his head down. "Yeah..." Knuckles muttered. "But it's not true! Knux, she just blew things outta proportion! You didn't-""Yes I did. I wasn't honest with her. Keeping secrets from her was what tore us apart. Maybe I'm not a 'player' or anything like that, but I broke her trust...and her heart."

Mighty was about to say something, but watched as a familiar figure flew up to them. "Knuckles!" she said as she ran up and hugged him, a look of guilt painted on her face. "I am so, so sorry! I didn't realize you two were-""Rouge," Knuckles said as he interrupted her, "it's not your fault. I didn't tell her what happened between us. It was my responsibility to tell her, not yours." She looked up at him with sympathetic eyes. "I know, but I feel so terrible! I want to help you! And I know a way I can!" she said with a hopeful smile. "Back off, lady! You're the reason she-" "Mighty! I don't think that's what she meant!" Knuckles spat. "Right! Now listen, I know where she's going," Rouge said. "How could you know that?" Mighty asked, giving her a suspicious look. "Well, she's an ex-legionnaire, right? I could tell that at least. Right now she has no home, no place to stay, BUT she does have some 'old friends'. I'll give you three guesses who I'm talking about," Rouge said, now looking serious. Knuckles' eyes widened in realization and shock. "The 'hoods' have a new recruiting station three miles south of the island. She'll be going there," Rouge said. Knuckles ran over to Mighty and grabbed his shoulders. "Mighty! She's going back to the Legion! Who knows what'll happen to her??? I have to get her back!" Mighty was about to reassure his friend, but Knuckles quickly sped off into the woods before he could even open his mouth.

Knuckles burst through the door of his cave and ran in to grab what he needed. He went over to his drawer and pulled out a belt, which he quickly secured around his waist. It was a brown leather belt, but imbedded in the buckle was the guiding star gem. He looked on top of his dresser and saw a group picture of the Chaotix, her, and himself. His family. That's what they were. He took the picture, folded it in half, and tucked it into one of the many pouches in his belt. He opened his closet and pulled out something he hadn't looked at in a long time. The hat his great-grandfather Hawking had left him. A brown leather hat decorated with three stars above the brim in the front. "Great-grandfather Hawking," he muttered as he placed it on his head, "guide me." With this said, he ran out the door, all the way to the edge of the island, and leapt off.

The Freedom Fighters were looking over their ship, making sure there were no damages from the storm. A few dents, but otherwise it was fine. "Engine's purring like a kitten," Rotor said as he shut off the engine and walked out the hatch door. "So we're good to go?" Sonic said, anxious to leave. "Not yet. We need to wait for...there's Mighty now," Tails said as they all looked to see Mighty running towards them with Rouge gliding above him. "What's she doing here?" Amy said with a pout on her face. "She's here to help! Listen, there's not much time!" Mighty said as he began to explain the current situation. "We gotta stop her!" Sally yelled as they began to pile into the ship. They were all a little surprised when Rouge came onboard. "I didn't want any of this to happen. I wanna help out in any way I can," she said. "Then buckle up, everyone! Rouge, you give directions!" Sally said as she drove the jet off into the distance.

They weren't at all surprised at the condition of the recruiting station when they got there. Blaster holes all over the walls, unconscious legionnaires all over the place, and a familiar voice yelling in the next room. "I'm looking! I'm looking! I know her file is in here somewhere!" a fright filled voice said. "It better be if you value your health!" Knuckles yelled. They walked into the next room to see more legionnaires on the ground. In the corner of the room, Knuckles stood over the one conscious legionnaire, who was nervously typing on the computer. "Yeesh! He really did a number on this place, huh?" Tails said as he looked around at the legionnaires scattered across the room. "He iz...not in ze best of moods, eh?" Antoine said to Tails. "I found it! She's been assigned to...Lord Dimitri's mountain fortress!" the legionnaire said in amazement. "Dimitri..." Knuckles growled, "Where is it?" Knuckles spat at the frightened legionnaire. "I-it's about a hundred miles west of here," the legionnaire replied. "Thanks for the info," Knuckles said as he struck him in the side of the head, knocking him out cold.

Knuckles didn't seem to even notice the others as he walked past them. They could see in his eyes that he was focussed on one thing. Getting her back. "Knux! What're ya doin'? You planning to trek a hundred miles and then take on a base full of 'hoods'?" Vector yelled. "Yeah! Come on and we'll fly over in the ship! She's our friend too, and we're going no matter what!" Sally yelled as he walked farther away. He stopped, looked back and said, "Fine. Then let's move!" Everyone looked back at Knuckles every so often during the flight. He never budged an inch. He just sat there, glaring into space. Sally frowned when she saw him like this, and frowned even more when it began to snow outside. "Guys, I think we're flying into a blizzard," Sally said uneasily. They all cringed when they heard Knuckles growl. "Don't worry. I'll see what I can do, but if it gets too bad, then we'll have to land," Sally said, trying to reassure Knuckles.

It was five minutes before they could hardly see in front of them. Sally knew the reaction she would get would be bad, but she couldn't risk flying in this weather. The elements were obviously against them. "Alright! We have to land!" Sally yelled as she flipped some switches to prepare the landing gear. "Land?!?! It could be hours before this storm blows over!" Knuckles yelled.

As the ship touched the ground, Knuckles unbuckled his seatbelt and walked towards the hatch door. He pushed the button to open it, but Sonic stood in the way of the door. "Are you crazy?!?! What are you doin' opening the door?!?!" Sonic yelled over the howling wind outside. "I'm going out and finding Julie-Su!!! Outta my way!!!" Knuckles yelled as he tried to push past Sonic. "You're nuts!!! You'll never make it!!! It's fifty miles through a blizzard!!! I wouldn't make that!!! Knux, she's my friend and she means a lot to me too, but-""She could never mean as much to you as she does to me!!! Now get outta my way!!!" Knuckles shouted as he pushed Sonic out the door. Knuckles began to walk away from the ship when Sonic came up from behind and punched him. Knuckles quickly recovered, and tackled Sonic into a tree. Sonic fell to the ground, his back aching, and tried desperately to block the barrage of punches that were being thrown at him. "You've chosen the WRONG day to piss me off!!!" Knuckles yelled as he struck Sonic several times. Mighty came out and secured Knuckles in a full nelson as Sonic scrambled to his feet. Mighty let Knuckles go and was surprised that he didn't charge Sonic again. "Think you're so tough, hedgehog?!?! Huh?!?! Looking pretty pathetic now!!! Go back to Knothole so those morons can worship you for your useless speed!!!" Knuckles spat as he turned and began to run into the woods. "JULIE!!! I'M COMING!!! JUST HANG ON!!!" they heard him yelling.

Sally ran out to him to see that he was already starting to shiver. "Knux, come back to the ship! It's not worth it! You're gonna get hypothermia!" "B-b-but...J-Julie i-s-s-""We'll find her, I promise. But you can't find her if you die out here. Come on before you catch a cold," she said, putting her arm around him as they headed back to the ship. Knuckles didn't look at anyone when he stepped back onto the ship. He just kept staring at the ground with a look of sadness on his face. He sat down in his seat again and stared out the window. Nobody said a word. Sally brought a blanket to keep him warm, since he was still freezing, but had to chuck it at him when he refused it. No one could tell whether he was shivering or shuttering as he looked out the window. 'Julie...' he thought to himself, 'Please be okay.'

Julie-Su walked slowly into her quarters and flopped down onto her small cot. Today had been terrible, and it was only the first day she had been there. It seemed like everyone was against her. The drill sergeants though she was weak for working with the Guardian, so they worked her extra hard. Everyone insulted her for working against them in the past months. Her old friends weren't stationed here, and all of these troops were ruthless. Nobody ate with her, nobody spoke to her. It was just like Echidnapolis. She was an outcast. She walked over to her small, broken mirror and looked at herself. Her hair was a mess, she was sweaty, her eyes were red from crying when she was alone, and the only other thing you could see was the black cloak that she wore. She couldn't even recognize herself now.

Suddenly, there was a knocking at her door. When she opened it, she was startled. "Welcome back, little sister," her visitor said with an evil grin. "What do you want, Kommisar?" Julie-Su asked. "Oh, nothing. So, why did you decide to come back? Word has it you got dumped," Kommisar said, enjoying every second of her stepsister's suffering. "No! I-I just..." Julie-Su began, tears building in her eyes. "Oh, please! You can't fool anyone! The red eyes prove it! You've been crying your poor little heart out over him!" "Shut up! He didn't dump me! I dumped him!" Kommisar grinned even more. The emotional torment of her stepsister was invigorating to her. "Oh? And why is that? You two made such a cute couple! And he's so...attractive" Kommisar said, hoping to get a rise out of Julie-Su.

"STOP IT!!! I feel stupid enough for trusting him, let alone falling in love with him! I quit the legion because of him! I left everything I had for him, and he turns out to be a backstabbing-""Ooh! Looks AND an attitude, all in one package! I should give him my number. Personally, I don't know what he saw in you, anyway. I mean, you aren't even remotely pretty...so I don't know what he ever saw," Kommisar said, smiling as she watched tears fall from Julie-Su's face. Before she left, Kommisar said, "Maybe I'll give him a whirl. I'm sure he'd rather have a REAL woman. Not an ugly little tramp like you." When Kommisar had left, Julie-Su reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture of her and him. The one from his birthday. She tore it in half, leaving him on one half and herself on another. She curled up on her bed and began to sob, until she eventually cried herself to sleep.

When Amy woke up, she looked around to see that everyone else was up and the ship was already in the air. "How long have we been flying?" Amy asked. She was surprised when everyone turned around and shushed her. She looked at the seat in front of her to see Knuckles sleeping. "He didn't sleep at all last night. He finally dosed off before we were all awake. Let him sleep a bit," Tails said. "Look at that," Rotor exclaimed, causing all of them to look at the computer monitor in front of him. "According to this, there's a huge base a few kilometers ahead. That must be it," Sally said. "Then let's get ready to rumble," Knuckles said. They all jumped at the sound of his voice. "H-how long have you been aw-wake?" Ray asked. "Few minutes. Listen up! Dimitri is in there, so security is gonna be tight. We just gotta hammer through them and get her outta there," Knuckles said.

Julie-Su was greatly surprised when Dimitri himself wanted to see her. She was nervous, though. Dimitri was ruthless and unforgiving. Maybe she was going to be punished for working with the enemy for so long. When she was let into his throne room, she gulped. "Ah! Julie-Su. How are you feeling, great-granddaughter?" Dimitri asked in his metallic voice. "F-fine, Lord Dimitri," she said as she bowed to him. "Please! Call me great-grandfather. Now, it has come to my attention that you have returned to us _because _of the Guardian, Knuckles?" Dimitri asked. "Y-yes Lord-I mean great-grandfather. I thought that I knew him, but I was wrong," she said with her head down, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "Love can be a very tricky thing. I never fully grasped it myself. But now you're with family," he said as he pointed out Kommisar behind him. Xenin stepped forward and whispered something into Dimitri's ear.

"Interesting," Dimitri said with a smile, "Julie-Su, how would you like to get back at Knuckles?" Julie-Su looked at him with great surprise. "I-I don't know...I-""Take a look on that monitor," Dimitri said as he pointed to a screen that was dropping from the ceiling. When it came on, Julie-Su gasped. The main lobby of the base was under siege by the Chaotix and the Freedom Fighters and leading them was none other than Knuckles. Rouge was also with them in their attack, which confused and angered Julie-Su. "It seems that Knuckles has come for you. Probably for rejoining the legion. However, I have other plans for him. Would you like to assist me with them?" Dimitri asked as he stepped in front of Julie-Su and put his hands on her sagging shoulders. "Wh-what are you going to do to him? Just out of interest," she asked. "I wish to conduct some tests. I believe that Knuckles holds the key to unlocking our goal of domination. Well? Will you help?" he asked. Julie-Su looked up at the screen. All of the creatures that really cared about her were on it. But then Knuckles' glaring face came up onto the screen and a second later, there was only static. She sighed, turned to Dimitri, and muttered, "Yes,"


	6. RETRIEVAL

RETRIEVAL

Mighty stretched out his arms as he looked over the trashed lobby. Unconscious legionnaires were all over the place. Blaster holes from laser fire made the walls look like Swiss cheese. Sonic smirked as he stood over a pile of moaning legionnaires. "Where is Julie-Su?!?!" Knuckles yelled as he slammed a legionnaire against the wall. "L-l-level...th-th-thre-ee..." the legionnaire moaned as he lost consciousness. Knuckles looked up at the door leading farther into the fortress and sprinted through it. When the others went after him, more legionnaires confronted them, but Knuckles was nowhere to be seen.

Julie-Su and Kommisar stood on either side of Dimitri, who sat patiently in his chair. Several legionnaires stood between them and the door, but Dimitri knew that they weren't enough. "Sire! The Guardian is coming up the stairs!" one of them yelled. "Good. On your guard, troops," Dimitri said with a smirk. First, there was a slam at that door, and then the door came flying at them! Knuckles used the door as a shield and tackled it into the unsuspecting legionnaires. In a matter of seconds, he had defeated them all without landing a single punch.

"Dimitri," Knuckles growled. "AH! Knuckles! How nice of you to join us! Please make yourself at home!" Dimitri said formally, as if Knuckles was his guest. "You see, Julie-Su? He's here to make your life more difficult. He already broke your sweet little heart, and now he's trying to destroy your family. How does this make you feel?" Dimitri asked her. Julie-Su just glared at Knuckles. "Kommisar, will you greet our guest?" Dimitri said as he motioned his hand for her to go to him. "Hello, Knuckles," Kommisar said with a mischievous smirk as she walked towards him with a whip in her hand. "You aren't the one I'm here to talk to, so back off!" Knuckles snarled. "Ooh! Julie-Su was right! You do have an attitude!" she said as she circled him, "What a physique! And that hat makes you look ! I find that attractive in a male," she said to his ear as she placed her hands on his shoulders. Julie-Su was getting more and more enraged. She couldn't stand too much more of this. She didn't care that Knuckles was with someone else, because she saw it coming, but why did it have to be Kommisar?

"Sorry, but I don't like older women!" Knuckles growled at her as he remover her hands. "Apparently you don't like ugly ones either," Kommisar said as she looked back at Julie-Su, who began to build up tears in her eyes. "Shut your damn mouth," Knuckles snarled as he shoved Kommisar out of the way and began to walk towards Julie-Su. "This is what you left for, Julie? This torment? You think these two are your family? This isn't a family at all! These are just a bunch of cutthroat murderers! Dimitri is trying to manipulate you and Kommisar is making you feel like crap! Forget them! Come-"'BANG!!!' Knuckles' eyes widened as he began to weakly moan. He felt a cold feeling in his stomach. He lifted his hands off of his stomach to see that his gloves were soaked in blood. He looked down at his stomach. He had been shot. "Never turn your back on a sexy woman!" Kommisar said with a smirk as she walked by him with a smoking pistol. "A bullet works so much better than a laser," she whispered in his ear. He took a staggering step towards Julie-Su and fell down in front of her. She was in shock. "You didn't say you were gonna shoot him!" Julie-Su said to Dimitri. "I thought you wanted him to suffer for what he did to you?" Dimitri said with an evil smile.

Julie-Su wasn't sure how she was feeling. She was still enraged at Knuckles, but this seemed so...wrong. He desperately tried to crawl to her with one hand on his stomach. He finally grabbed her hand and pulled her down towards him and whispered, "J-J-Julie...r-rem-member who y-your f-amily is..." he said as he fell to the floor. As his hand fell limply from her hand, he left something in it. Before she could look at it, the Freedom Fighters came rushing in, and stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Knuckles on the ground, with a trail of blood behind him. They all looked up at Julie-Su with shocked faces. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she shook her head at them, a look of guilt on her face. Suddenly, a large group of armed legionnaires flooded the room, surrounding them. "Guards, take the intruders to the holding cells," Dimitri said as he motioned behind him for three legionnaires to come to him. "You know where to take the Guardian. Hurry now, before he bleeds to death, though he wouldn't with his healing abilities, now would he? Too bad. Waste of a good rug," Dimitri said with a sigh as the legionnaires carefully moved Knuckles, revealing a large bloodstain on the rug.

Julie-Su, tears still pouring down her guilt ridden face, watched as Knuckles was dragged to who knows where, while the others were being taken to the holding cells. "I always knew you'd betray us! I can't believe I actually began to trust you! You backstabbing bit-"Vector yelled as the door slammed behind them, cutting off his remark. Julie-Su looked at what Knuckles had left in her hand. It was a photograph of herself with the Chaotix and him. Their first group picture. Now, it was hard to see if you weren't looking for it, but if you were, you could see Julie-Su and Knuckles holding hands behind their backs. That would explain their pleasant smiles. There was a drop of blood on the picture, but a tear from her face washed it away. Julie-Su looked up and remembered what Knuckles had struggled so hard to say. "Remember who your family is." She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. She knew what she had to do.

"Anyone got any bright ideas on how to get out of here?" Rotor asked as he observed their cell. The walls were made of solid concrete, and an energy field blocked the door. "Sonic, could you phase through the wall?" Sally asked. They all frowned when he shook his head. "I'd need a lot of room to build up enough speed. This cell is nowhere near big enough," Sonic said. They all sat in silence for a few minutes, until a door from outside the cell opened up. Three armed legionnaires walked in. One armed with a laser rifle, the other two dragging Knuckles! He was conscious, but seemed to be very groggy. The energy field dropped, and they tossed Knuckles in with the rest of them. After that, the field closed again and they left the room. "Knux! You okay, man?" Mighty asked. "Yeah...I feel great after taking a freakin' bullet!" Knuckles said weakly. "How come you're so weak? I mean, your healing ability-""I think they might of drugged me while I was out," Knuckles said as he weakly sat up.

Suddenly, the door opened again, and this time, Julie-Su walked in. Everyone but Knuckles was glaring at her as she stood in front of the energy field. "What do you want?" Amy spat. "I can't believe this. I always thought Vec was wrong about you. I guess he was right," Mighty said. "For once in his life," Espio commented. "Hey! I saw right through the witch's plan! Get cozy with us and take us out with her buddies!" Julie-Su started crying and began to yell at them. "I didn't ask for you to come after me! It's your own fault!" Her eyes finally met with Knuckles' and she stopped. "Did you think about what I said?" he asked. She pulled out the picture he gave her earlier and looked at it. "Are they your family...or are we?" Knuckles asked.

Now wearing Dark Legion uniforms, the escaped prisoners followed Julie-Su through the base towards the entrance, where they could make their escape. "Can we trust her?" Vector asked. "I do," Mighty said, regretting what he had said earlier about Julie-Su. All was going well until they were confronted by Xenin! "Where are you all going?" Xenin asked. "Lord Dimitri has assigned us to relieve the patrol unit," Julie-Su said calmly. Sally was amazed at how quickly and calmly Julie-Su had reacted to Xenin's sudden question. "I don't recall Lord Dimitri giving that order...Let me check with him," Xenin said as he opened up the communicator in his wrist. "Sorry, buddy!" Rouge yelled as she kicked him in the head, knocking him out. "The intruders have escaped!!!" a legionnaire yelled from down the hall. "RUN!!!" Julie-Su yelled as she motioned for them to follow her. When they re-entered the lobby, there were several legionnaires armed with laser rifles that began to open fire upon them! Mighty quickly threw himself in the way, using his armored back as a shield. Sonic ran and quickly grabbed their rifles, disarming them. The legionnaires looked down at their empty hands, then up at the group of heroes charging at them.

As Knuckles was about to help the others plow through their last obstacle, he felt something wrap around his neck! He grabbed it and gasped for air as he tried to loosen it's grip. Suddenly, he started hearing Kommisar chuckling behind him. She walked out in front of him, holding a whip in her hand. "So, you don't like older women, huh?" She said as she tightened her whip around his neck. "Perhaps I can change your mind," she said as she put her free arm around him and kissed him. Knuckles wanted to push her off of him, but that would mean getting strangled. Kommisar turned around when she felt a tapping on her shoulder, only to come face to face with Julie-Su. "You're such a slut!" Julie-Su yelled as she punched her in the face, knocking her flat. Knuckles unraveled the whip and gasped for air. "Th-thanks," he panted. "This doesn't change anything between us," Julie-Su said. "I...under-stand," Knuckles said, still gasping for air as he stood up and followed the others out of the fortress.

They all quickly ran into the woods and jumped onto the ship. "It's weird. They didn't chase us into the woods," Espio said. "Maybe they gave up," Amy suggested. "Not Dimitri," Knuckles growled. "G-guys...I-I'm sorry about...well, all of this. I don't deserve to call you guys my friends," Julie-Su said quietly. "You deserve it more than you could ever imagine," Sally said with a smile. "I...guess I owe you an apology," Vector said. "Why Ah'll be! There's a change!" Bunnie said. "Let's get you home. Where you belong," Mighty said with a smile. Julie-Su felt tears rolling down her face, but these were tears of happiness.

During the flight, everyone had drifted off to sleep as Nicole piloted the jet through radio waves. Julie-Su sat in the back of the jet, staring out the window. "Can I join you?" Rouge asked. "Sure," Julie-Su said with a sigh. "Listen, I want to apologize for the situation I got you in to," "Please! Don't say that! It wasn't your fault," Julie-Su said, turning to Rouge. "What about Knuckles?" Rouge asked. Julie-Su turned away and stared out the window again. "Nothing. I don't care anymore," she whispered. "I never meant to come between you," Rouge said. "In fact," Rouge said with a strange look in her eyes, "I'm not even sure if I like boys." Julie-Su turned around to face her, shocked at her statement. Rouge chuckled and said, "Got ya!" Julie-Su smiled and sighed in relief. "You suck. You really do," she said. "You should have seen your face!" Rouge said as they began to quietly giggle. "I hope that you and I can become friends," Rouge said. "I'd like that," Julie-Su replied.

Julie-Su never felt happier in her small apartment. It felt like a palace now. She smiled and decided to walk out onto the balcony for some air, and saw a familiar face walking down the street. 'Oh, what a surprise to see him,' she thought to herself sarcastically. Knuckles, still wearing his hat and belt, walked by the apartment and looked up at her. He waved and she waved back out of politeness. She could see a weak smile on his face, but she couldn't find it in herself to smile back. "Hey. Listen," he began, "I was wondering...if we could go back to the way we started off. You know...be friends," he said. She sighed, but nodded. "I have no problem with that, but we'll never be anything more. Never again," she said. "And I accept and understand that. I have no objections." They stood there for a moment, until he finally said, "Well...I need to go. You probably wanna sleep anyway, so...bye," he said weakly with a wave. "Bye," she said as she stepped back into her apartment. "Well...at least we're friends," Knuckles whispered to himself. He turned away from the apartment and continued to walk down the lonely street until he was out of sight.

Epilogue

"Do you think they suspect anything, my lord?" Xenin asked. "No, and by the time they figure it out, it will be too late," Dimitri snickered. Kommisar rubbed her now swollen cheek. "When I get my hands on that little skank, I'll-""Patience, granddaughter," Dimitri said, "Very soon, she, along with the rest of the world will bow before me! For now, I have the ultimate engine of destruction! Not even our young Guardian friend can overcome this evil! Knuckles is going to wish that he was never born!" Dimitri began to chuckle, but then broke out into an evil, malicious laughter that echoed through the base and the woods.

**Author's Note:** Well, that's it for this one! Hope you all enjoyed it. In case you felt it wasn't actiony enough, I'll let you in on a little secret...This story was just a stepping stone for my next fic, which will have you on the edge of your seat! I'll get it up as soon as I can! L8r!


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